George Brearley, 75, secretary of Stalybridge and District Poultry Society, has been keeping chickens for most of his life and says smaller eggs are unusual but not rare.

He added: “I would say I’ve seen half a dozen or more over the years. You might get a cycle of two in 12 months.

“I've not really delved into what causes it, I suppose it’s just Mother Nature. It’s the same with a double yolk egg.

“I have had them as small as under an inch but when you crack them there’s nothing in them, no yolk or anything.

“I just throw them away.”

Whether it is the smallest or not will have remain a mystery as there is no world record to be beaten.

According to the Guinness World Records there isn't a category for the smallest chicken egg, only for the smallest bird egg, which is currently held by the the Vervain Hummingbird of Jamaica that lays eggs just 10mm long.

But Ernest’s little discovery could still win him a prize.

He told the Manchester Evening News: "We have an egg show every year with 350 different categories, even one for misshapen eggs.